Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Praying for a Higher Level of Protection

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Praying for a Higher Level of
Protection

Hello from our Influenza-ravaged household!

For the third year in a row, the large area of over 6
million people that we live and work in has been hit hard by the influenza
season. Greater San Diego has 3.5 million peeps, Baja Norte Mexico... which
includes Ensenada and the village we work in, San Vicente, has confirmed 2.5
million souls. A combination of dense population, friendly winter weather (cool
but not ‘stay home and don’t go out’) and punchy viruses have meant for thousands
and thousands of people affected by winter colds and flu. Each of the public
health administrations in San Diego and Mexico have declared the level of
Influenza as epidemic each year.

Lori and I have, for the last 3 years, been hit hard by the
yearly Influenza epidemics here. This year was no exception; December was
marked with some serious home-sick days, and the lingering coughs are still
hanging on. We end up ‘down with the bug’ for a couple of weeks each year.

Yes, we have had to slow up or postpone some ministry
activities due to illness.

I’ve been studying the maskil
Psalm 88, where the writer... David’s lead-worshipper Hamen... in a time of intense
sickness and suffering;

“13 But
I cry to you for help, Lord; in
the morning my prayer comes before you.

Have you ever been lying on the couch,
super-sick with a flu, with coughing/fever/body aches, unable to get much
done... and prayed that Psalm 88 prayer? I sure have been there... recently...

Why? Why our annual ‘down-sick’ battles? Regardless of all
the precautions we take (first to get flu vaccines each year, vitamin and diet regimens,
vigorous hand-washing, etc.), being ‘in ministry’ means working closely with people...
and people easily share the viruses they are fighting themselves. Also,
ministry means a great deal of hard schedules, travelling and activities.
This means a great deal of expended energy in long, tiring days, and it also
means being with a lot of people, all of whom have viruses to share.

SO, dear friends, join us as we are praying for a higher level of protection from these
regular, seasonal, debilitating illnesses that we keep fighting. These past few
years, the coughing lasts for a couple of months, regardless of the talented
doctor’s interventions.

‘Higher Level of Protection’... please, PLEASE, Lord, we are a bit sick-and-tired of feeling so
sick-and-tired...